On September 4, 2019 the USCISannounced a new proposed rule thatrequires employers preparing to file H-1B cap-subject petitions to pay a $10fee for each electronic registration the employer submits to USCIS. The USCIS is funded by fees collected forfilings and plans to use the registration fees to cover the costs ofimplementing the new pre-registration system.
In January 2019 the USCISintroduced an electronic registration requirement for employers seeking to fileH-1B cap-subject petitions. Underthe January 2019 rule, all H-1B lottery petitions will need to be electronically pre-registered duringthe H-1B pre-registration period from April 1-7. After thepre-registration period has concluded, USCIS will run the H-1Blottery. All H-1B lottery winners will then submit the actual H-1Bpetition.
After consideringpublic feedback, USCIS decided to suspend the electronic pre-registrationrequirement until the April 2020 cap season in order to complete user testingand ensure the system and process are fully functional.